There are 7 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2002 Acura TLin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE MIRROR ON MY ACURA TL 2002 IS SHOWING A LIQUID LEAK BETWEEN THE GLASS PANES. I CALLED ACURA, CALIFORNIA AND THEY SAID THEY CAN DO NOTHING FOR ME AND WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. I CALLED MAGNA ,THE MIRROR MANUFACTURER, AND THEY SAID YES INDEED THE MIRROR WAS A HAZARD AND CONTINUES TO BE ONE AND THAT I SHOULD REMOVE THE MIRROR ASAP. THE INTERNET IS FULL OF EVENTS RELATED TO THIS MIRROR. LEAKING, PROPERTY DAMAGE, EXPLOSIONS, AND OTHERS. I NOW CANNOT FIND A REPLACEMENT MIRROR FOR MY CAR TO FIT AS THE OEM MIRROR WAS DESIGNED TO DO. ACURA AND MAGNA SHOULD BE THE ONES EXHAUSTING TIME AND ENERGY TO SATISFY AND PROTECT IT'S CUSTOMER, ME, AND THE COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO STILL DO NOT KNOW OF THE DANGERS THESE MIRRORS POSSESS. PLEASE HELP ME AND ALL ACURA OWNERS BEFORE SOMEONE IS SEVERELY OR FATALLY INJURED. THANK YOU *TR
I HAVE A 2002 ACURA TL TYPE S. IT HAS AN AUTO-DIMMING INTERIOR REAR VIEW MIRROR WHICH LEAKED AND SPRAYED A CORROSIVE BLACK LIQUID IN MY CAR. ONE MORNING I ENTERED MY CAR TO FIND A BLACK LIQUID DRIPPING FROM THE MIRROR ONTO MY SHIFT PANEL (PANEL WHICH SAYS P,R,N D AROUND THE STICK SHIFT) AND A BLACK SPRAY ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE CORROSIVE BLACK LIQUID DISSOLVED PART OF THE SHIFT PANEL AND CAN'T BE REMOVED FROM MY CAR SEATS. THE MIRROR "EXPLODING" IS KNOWN BY ACURA (HONDA) TO BE A DEFECT. HERE IS A VERY LONG THREAD REGARDING THE TOPIC : HTTP://TL.ACURAZINE.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=549093 I BELIEVE THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED BY ACURA. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I WAS LUCKY IN THE SENSE THAT MY MIRROR EXPLODED WHEN II WASN'T IN THE CAR. WHAT IF I WAS DRIVING? THE BLACK LIQUID DISSOLVES PLASTIC. IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD DO TO MY EYES IF I WAS DRIVING AND THE MIRROR EXPLODED. IT COULD CAUSE ME TO BE IN A FATAL ACCIDENT KILLING ME OR OTHERS. I CALLED STERLING ACURA OF AUSTIN AND VERIFIED THERE IS NOT A FACTORY RECALL ON THIS PART. I ALSO CALLED THE PART MANUFACTURER, MAGNA DONNELLY, AND THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN REPLACING THE PART AT THEIR EXPENSE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 ACURA 3.2TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INTERIOR DAY/NIGHT REAR VIEW MIRROR SWITCH WAS LEAKING AN UNKNOWN CHEMICAL. WHEN THE CHEMICAL LEAKED OUT, THE ABILITY TO SWITCH BETWEEN THE DAY AND NIGHT OPTION WAS LOST. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER BUT WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY, THEY COULD OFFER NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000. UPDATED 01/04/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE MIRROR WAS WORKING PROPERLY IT AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTED FOR LIGHTING. THERE IS NO MANUAL ADJUSTMENT AVAILABLE AS WITH TRADITIONAL DAY/NIGHT REAR-VIEW MIRRORS. THE ONLY OPTION LEFT WAS TO MOVE THE MIRROR INTO A POSITION WHERE THE LIGHTING WAS NO DISTRACTING. UPDATED 01/10/11*JB
A CHEMICAL LEAKED FROM REARVIEW MIRROR AND DAMAGED THE GEAR SHIFT CONSOLE.*TR
LACK OF A/C AND HEAT. BLOWER MOTOR, RESISTOR CONTROL, AND CONNECTOR BURNED OUT. CONNECTOR SHOWED SIGN OF MELTING. *TR
REAR VIEW MIRROR FAILURE - THE MIRROR FAILED TO HOLD A TOXIC FLUID AND IT LEAKED ON THE CONSOLE OF THE CAR. THE CONSOLE WAS DAMAGED BY THE LEAKING FLUID (MIGHT BE ACIDIC OR SIMILAR). *TR
2002 ACURA TL REAR VIEW MIRRORS - THE MIRRORS ARE DESIGNED TO HAVE THIS TINTING EFFECT. NOT EXACTLY SURE OF THE SCIENCE RELATED TO THIS TINTING PROCESS, BUT MY MIRROR IS HAVE TINTED AND HAVE UNTINTED AND SHADES IN BETWEEN. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THESE THINGS SHOULD BE RECALLED. I'VE GLANCED ON-LINE AND THERE IS SOME LITERATURE ABOUT THESE MIRRORS FAILING AND IF THEY LEAK THEY CONTAIN A DANGEROUS CHEMICAL. 1. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO SPECIFIC EVENT LED TO THIS EQUIPMENT FAILURE. 2. THE MIRROR'S TINTING PROBLEM IS CONSTANT. 3. THE DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE MIRROR FOR A SUBSTANTIAL COST TO ITS CONSUMERS. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026